


Secrets Only Whispered Into the Wind

by viind



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Wings, Dadza is dead, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Light Angst, Mentioned Toby Smith | Tubbo, Mild Gore, Summary isn't that good, Technoblade is oldest, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, Wings, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29675463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viind/pseuds/viind
Summary: Avianfolk, a species known for their stunning wings, are a rare specialty, even more so now that they were thought to have been hunted into extinction. Though, this speculation doesn't stop the ruthless group called The Butchers from searching head and toe for any signs of Avianfolk left, looking to sell any straggler for a pretty penny. Techno managed to save his younger brother's from them when he was a child, but as the years slip by he can't forget the danger. Especially when The Butchers suddenly pop up.--Even now, he could still see the pride shining in his father’s eyes. Phil had turned around, and the last memory of Phil he had was seeing red hot flames lick out from his fingers, a blast of heat hitting his flesh as he took his younger brothers and jumped out the window.It was an impressive feat. Phil had only been teaching him to fly for a month, and his younger brothers were unable to use their wings yet. So it was all him. He used to just barely be able to carry his own weight for a few minutes, so carrying over double that for an entire day still puzzled him to this day. Perhaps it was adrenaline? The need to protect his brothers?“Techno?”
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 95
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	Secrets Only Whispered Into the Wind

**Author's Note:**

> Hey look, I'm alive. Isn't that fun?  
> I wrote this instead of doing school assignments. This took me probably a total of 6 or so hours? I began writing it back on the 10th, and then just dropped it due to major art block. That's why it took so long to do anything. Also, that's why if there's anything that doesn't match from early story to later story, that's why. Not the happiest with this, but I think it's my best work. After all, the main things I write are fantasy and violence which this has both so  
> Warning that I don't know wing anatomy, and tried my hardest with looking up pictures online. So if anything's weird and doesn't make sense, it's because my brain is small. Also tried to explain where certain feathers are, but, once again, my plans were foiled by small brain  
> Hope you enjoy :)  
> \--  
> If any CC ever says they don't vibe with any topics in the fic or any fic I've written, I'll take it down ASAP

It’s been 13 years since Phil’s death. Techno could still remember it like yesterday. He could still see in perfect picture-like quality, the memory playing out like a movie.

Phil’s grey wings were stretched as far as Techno had even seen, feathers ruffled and puffed out to look three-times his size. His light blue eyes shone with pain and sadness as he addressed his eldest son.  _ “Techno, I need you to be strong, okay? I need you to take Wilbur and Tommy and fly. Fly as far as your wings can take you, and then run twice that. Do you understand?” _

Techno had only been 7. He hadn’t understood, but nodded anyway. He was too young to understand the severity, but, even at this young age, knew this would be the last time he saw his dad.

Even now, he could still see the pride shining in his father’s eyes. Phil had turned around, and the last memory of Phil he had was seeing red hot flames lick out from his fingers, a blast of heat hitting his flesh as he took his younger brothers and jumped out the window.

It was an impressive feat. Phil had only been teaching him to fly for a month, and his younger brothers were unable to use their wings yet. So it was all him. He used to just barely be able to carry his own weight for a few minutes, so carrying over double that for an entire day still puzzled him to this day. Perhaps it was adrenaline? The need to protect his brothers?

“Techno?”

The pink-haired male sat up in his bed, eyes adjusting to the dark. He squinted towards his youngest brother, blonde hair matty and dirty. “What happened?”

Tommy shuffled with a mischievous grin. Though it ebbed away when he saw the glare. “W-Well… Tubbo and I went into the town…”

Techno sighed, pushing himself off the bed. He walked up to Tommy, giving his rounded ear a pinch. Unlike Techno and Wilbur, Tommy had rounded ears instead of pointed. Phil had told him early on that meant Tommy would be unable to perform magic. “What did I say about going into town?” He scolded. “Was Wilbur at least with you two?”

Tommy shook his head, cupping his ear and muttering a small ‘ow’. Techno shook his head, disapproval swirling in his crimson eyes. “Did you at least hide your wings like I taught you how to?”

“Yeah, I did. Nothing bad happened.” Tommy finished quickly.

Techno brushed through his younger brother’s hair, putting on a show at the dirt and leaves. He stilled when his hand pulled up red.

He bristled, alarm replacing the disapproval. Tommy looked at the ground sheepishly, bright blue eyes burning a whole through the wooden flooring. “What’s this?” He hissed, shifting to the side where he found the blood. “What  _ happened _ ?”

“When Tubbo and I were coming back we got ambushed by a Butcher.”

Techno stared at Tommy, room becoming suddenly freezing. Butchers were the reason Phil was dead. And he  _ knew _ he never told Tommy about them.

“Wilbur told me about them a while ago. Since I was only a few months old when dad was killed, I don’t remember anything.”

A sigh escaped his lips as he placed a gentle hand on the 13 year old’s shoulder. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Techno was no doctor, and he only knew how to wrap wounds up. Wash with soap and water, then wrap a bandage around it. Simple as that. That worked well with arms and legs, but didn’t apply very well to heads.

Tommy shifted on the toilet seat, uncomfortable from sitting well over an hour as Techno fussed over the wrapping, cursing quietly when it didn’t go the way he wanted. “Can’t we just wait until Wilbur gets back? No offense, but you suck at this.”

He drew back, glancing at the medical equipment around him. While Tommy wasn’t  _ wrong _ , it didn’t feel great not being able to help his younger brother. “You’re right.” He felt defeated, useless. “Wilbur should be back soon.”

Tommy kicked his legs forward and backward, idly staring at the ceiling lamp in the middle of the white-titled bathroom.

“Does it hurt bad?”

Tommy shook his head, “I’m not a child. A small scratch won’t kick me down.” He huffed, proud.

“Where’s Tubbo?” Techno asked, tossing away bloody gauze pads and washing his hands.

“Oh, he went back home. The Butchers were only after me.”

Techno nodded slowly, leaning against the doorframe. “How’re your wings?”

Tommy gingerly touched his back, where his wings would be if they weren’t tightly binded flush against his body. Or. at least should be binded flush if he did it the way Techno showed him. “Sore, but I just have to get used to it.”

Techno hummed, pushing himself off the frame. “Take it off soon. You can break your wings if you wear it too long.”

Tommy waved him off with a snort. “Yes, yes. You’ve said it a hundred times before.”

Red eyes hovered over the small teenager for a moment, a jab of pain stabbing through his heart at the sight. Though the young boy wasn’t extremely hurt, Techno couldn’t help but feel he failed in some way. He cracked the bathroom door behind him, heading down the stairs and making a sharp right, walking into the kitchen.

He set up a pot of water, letting a flame spill from his fingers to light the kindle under the stove. It wasn’t as hot as the flames from  _ that _ day, though it was more than enough to set ablaze the dry wood.

They were running low of food, hence why Wilbur had taken it upon himself to go resupply. Usually Techno was the one to take the trip to town, but Wilbur had insisted he go instead. If Wilbur asked, he’d deny adding in a few extra coins into the pouch.

The pot hissed, bubbled rising to the surface and popping under the sudden chill. He grabbed a box of curly pasta noodles, dumping the entire thing into the pot. Techno found the wooden stirring spoon behind the sink faucet, pushing it under the boiling water and stirring, a passing thought of ‘ _ I didn’t put it there’ _ getting pushed out by other concerns.

He set the spoon on top of the black pot, turning his attention towards the boy who’d tried to sneakily watch. “Ten minutes.”

Tommy pushed himself onto the kitchen counter, wings splayed out against the granet. “Why don’t you have your wings out?”

Techno glanced up at him, deciding to not even bother trying to correct the younger’s behavior. “I don’t like to have them out.”

Tommy huffed. “It’s unfair that I’m the only one that can’t hide my wings.” He puffed out his cheek in pout.

“It’s not good for you to hide your wings at your age, even if you could.” Techno’s voice was laced with amusement despite his poker face. “Don’t worry, I’ll be looking into a potion for you when you’re older.”

“Wilbur hid his wings when he was my age.” The blonde’s voice was defensive, clearly trying to grab at straws. “Why can’t I?”

Techno sighed, moving his shoulder. It  _ was _ starting to hurt, having hid them for a few days now. Despite the fact that they weren’t  _ technically _ there, he could still feel the pain from the soreness of being trapped in the Closed Dimension. “Would it make you feel better if I had them out too?”

Tommy perked up, blue eyes suddenly gaining an excited shine. “Yes! Very much so!”

“Fine, fine. Give me a minute to get changed. Give the pasta a twirl, would’ja?”

Tommy eagerly nodded, hopping off the counter and folding up his red wings against his back. The top feathers were slightly fluffed out, a show of just how excited he was.

Techno walked to his room, sliding on a shirt with holes for his wings to slide through. Holding a deep breath, he squeezed tightly against the edge of his dresser as a sharp pain shot through his body. No matter how many times he’s done this, the pain never failed to rob his breath for a few moments.

He watched in the mirror as his wings tore through his back, growing larger by the second. Black and dark red feathers shot around, drifting slowly to the ground. The wings stretched out as far as they could, a deep black melting into a dark red at the feather tips and bottom feathers. The same red was spread all along the underside, a single, long feather on the edge, the only full red feather on the top. He gasped at the final shock of pain, struggling to regain his breath for a moment. Sucking in as much of the icy fresh air as he could, he straightened himself up and walked back into the kitchen.

Tommy looked at him with wide eyes, amazement swirling in the blue depths. “Your wings are so big! Will my wings look like that?”

They really were large. Even larger than the memory of Phil’s wings. Even folded, the red tips just barely missed dragging against the ground. Then again, his wings had always been larger than most Avianfolk. “Well, if you take good care of them I’m sure they will. Maybe even bigger.”

Tommy’s eyes somehow managed to light up further, his eyes staring into whatever image he imagined before them. Then, he casted his eyes downward. “But if they get too big, I won’t be able to bind them. And I can’t hide them, so I’ll have to stay hidden.”

A sharp stab of pain pierced his heart. “There there,” he ruffled blonde hair, “I already said I was working on a potion, remember?” Techno gave him a kind smile.

Tommy nodded, silently handing Techno the spoon and moving towards the corner of the kitchen. He stretched out his wings as far as they would go, the golden colour melting into the rich red towards the ends. Techno remembered that Phil had called them sunrise wings, pride in his voice as he rambled of how stunning they’d turn out.  _ You were right. _

“Y’know,” Techno hummed as Tommy suddenly looked thoughtful, “by the time Wilbur comes back, the bleeding will have stopped.”

“He still has to clean and disinfect the area. We can’t have you getting an infection now, can we?”

Tommy began to pace in circles, thumb between his lips. A recent quirk he’s gained when in deep thought. “Don’t Avianfolk have a resistance towards all that stuff?”

Techno nodded, before remembering that Tommy probably isn’t paying enough attention to notice it. “Yeah, but since you’re only part I don’t know if you gained the immunities.”

“That’s bullshit.” Tommy huffed. “Wilbur is part too but you don’t worry so much about him.”

“Different cases.” Techno pulled the pot out from above the stove, carefully dumping the boiling water into the sink. “You’re a quarter or a third and Wilbur is two-thirds.”

“How come you don’t know how much I am?” There was an undertone of offense.

Techno pulled the fire down, smothering it until he felt the magic die. He set the pot on the cooled stove, pushing a large spoon into it. “Phil never told me. We’ll be able to tell soon, though.”

Tommy tilted his head, curiosity replacing his previously thoughtful look. “How? How?”

Techno stretched out his own wing slightly, careful to make sure not to knock anything over. He pulled gently at the short feathers on the top of his wings, pointing at the set of feathers on the curve. “These are called alula feathers. If yours stay short,” he made a show of dragging his palm across the bottom of the feathers, “then you’re a third. If they continue to grow out to past your median secondary convert, then you’re a quarter.”

“My what?”

Techno sighed, pointing at the small line of feathers peaking out from under the fluffier top feathers. Tommy squinted, flexing out his own wing to look. “Look from the back. You can’t see them on the underside.”

Techno tilted his head to the side slightly, folding back up his wing and pulling bowls out from the cabinet. “Though, I think you’re fine. If you were a quarter then your alula feathers would already be longer.”

Tommy ginned, splaying out his wings in full. He ignored Techno’s warning to be careful and puffed out his chest. “Hell yeah! I’m gonna have huge wings, the biggest anyone’s ever seen and everyone will be so jealous!”

Techno chuckled, unable to stop his eyes from rolling. “Yes yes, I’m sure you’ll have the biggest wings ever. Now, get your food. You need to eat well to make sure your wings grow properly.”

The blonde grabbed a bowl, scooping curly noodles into it and dumping tomato sauce over them. He plopped down at the table, stabbing one of the noodles with a fork. “Should we wait for Wilbur?”

“If you want to, we can.” Techno flicked his gaze to the window, pressing his lips into a line. He’d been gone for hours, having left early morning. It didn’t take  _ that _ long to go into the town, only an hour or an hour and a half if you decide to take a more scenic route.

_ Did he get lost? Did he get found out? What if- _

“Speak of the devil.” Tommy hummed, pulling Techno out from the spiral.

“Techno? You have your wings out?” Wilbur stood in the doorway, dark brown eyes blown wide in shock.

“Tommy was feeling left out.” Techno pulled his wings further together unconsciously, primary feathers intertwining.

Wilbur nodded slowly, trying, and failing, to hide his shock. “It’s been  _ years _ since I’ve seen them.”

Techno just shrugged, giving a lazy wave towards the pot. “You took too long bringing back food so I just made pasta.”

The brunette gave a sheepish smile. “I got a tad distrac- oh! Did you put in some more coins?”

“No? Why would I?” Techno grabbed his own bowl, making sure to leave enough for Wilbur. Only one box between three people didn’t work too well.

Tommy noticed, blue eyes giving Techno a glare. “That’s all you’re gonna eat?”

Techno hid the flinch, sliding into the seat and draping his wings over the back. “I ate earlier.”

“That’s a lie.” Wilbur huffed, scooping the rest of the pasta into a bowl of his own. He set it on the table, squinting at the oldest brother with a pointed gaze. “I’m going to go change. Feel free to start without me.”

“You need to eat more. No wonder you get so many headaches.” Tommy tried to push some noodles into the small bowl, which was met with a push.

“You need to eat more than I do. You’re still growing, and you need the extra nutrition so your wings grow out nice and healthy.”

“Yeah, but you’re the oldest. You need to make sure you eat enough and take care of your health so  _ we _ can eat.”

“I’ll just eat something later.”

Tommy glared at Techno, icy eyes staring deep into red. What happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force? Another force comes into the picture to separate them.

“Alright you two.” The eye contact was broken as they both looked at the new voice. “Let’s just eat and then we can argue afterwards.”

“But Techno needs to eat more.” Tommy complained, leaning back against the wooden chair frame.

“Ah,” Wilbur smirked, “don’t worry. I bought something  _ just for him _ with the extra coins he slipped in.”

Techno opened his mouth to argue, but was met with a flick on his forehead. “No complaining. It’s a done deal.” Wilbur sat in his own chair, stretching out his wings over the top rail of the chair. Deep red feathers, coloured black in certain lights, quivered at the stretch, feathers spreading out to show more of the dark blue primary and secondary coverts.

“So,” Wilbur covered a yawn as he relaxed his wings, “did I miss anything important?”

“Tommy decided to try and go into town, and got attacked by Butchers.”

“Ah, so that’s why there’s blood.”

Tommy chimed in from in between bites, “Techno tried to patch it up himself but he really sucks.”

“Was that really necessary?” Techno sighed, though amusement just barely curled the corners of his mouth.

Wilbur chuckled, grin growing wider and brown eyes shimmering with new-found mischief. “I remember when I fell out a tree an-”

“Aren’t we supposed to be eating?” Techno interrupted quickly, stabbing a dry noodle and giving a pointed glare towards Wilbur.

Tommy straightened at the interruption of the story, eyes bright with curiosity. “Oh?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“No,” Techno stared at Wilbur, “you won’t.”

“Are you going to stop me?”

“You know fully well I can.” Techno spun a noodle on his fork with disinterest.

Wilbur hummed, seeming to weigh his options. He decided quickly after another look from Techno, giving Tommy an apologetic smile. “Sorry big man, but big bro’s spoken. Don’t want to get in his bad graces now.”

“Big man understands. Considering big bro’s the one putting food on the table.”

Techno raised a brow at them, getting up and washing his empty bowl. “I’m going to be in my room if either of you need anything.” He paused, placing the bowl in the sink and deciding to deal with it later. “Remember that we’re going to be flying later, so just let me know when you want to go.”

Tommy paused for a second, scouring his memory. After a second, his eyes lit up with remembrance and he nodded excitedly. “Will do!”

Techno let out an amused huff, ignoring Wilbur’s following gaze as he left the kitchen.

“Remember that you have full control over your wings. If you panic, then you’ll fall. No matter what happens, you have to stay calm and remember that your wings are a part of  _ you _ , not an extension or a tool.”

The young teenager nodded, legs criss-cross on the grass. His wings were relaxed, crossing at his mid-back with feathers spilling across the emerald blades. Techno noted the neat white bandages wrapped under blonde hair, a clear work of Wilbur’s precise medical skills.

“If you ever feel like you’re falling, just take a deep breath and spread your wings out. Whatever you do,  _ do not panic _ .”

Tommy rolled his eyes, fingers drumming against his knee impatiently. “You’ve been over this a hundred times.”

“And I’ll go over it a hundred more until it’s ingrained in your skull.” Techno didn’t miss a beat, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree. “This is the most important thing I can tell you.”

“Yeah yeah, can I  _ please _ fly now?” Bright blue eyes looked up pleadingly, summoning a sigh to come from Techno.

He nodded, watching Tommy spring up instantly. “Just rem-”

“Don’t panic and if I do spread wings. I  _ got it _ .” He finished with a sigh. “You told me not even five seconds ago.”

“Well-”

“We’ve been going over everything for  _ years _ , I’m going to be fine! Stop stressing so much.” Tommy waved him off, peeking over the cliff edge. He lifted his wings off the ground, giving his older brother a questioning look.

Techno met his eyes, hesitating before giving a small nod. Without skipping a beat, Tommy dug his foot onto the edge and pushed off.

Techno swore time stopped as the younger’s shoes left to solid ground. Every one of his senses grew sprung into overdrive. He could taste the distant rain in the air, the scent of woodland mixing into it. An owl hooted in the far distance, gentle song of crickets filling in the peaceful silence. Trees stood unmoving, leaves gently shaking for the lazy breeze, casting darker shadows dancing across emerald blades rooted in the soft soil. The moon shone brightly, only half full but still basking the woods in a silver lace. Specks of silver spread across the black blanket, painting a full sky without a single cloud in sight.

He was brought back to reality as a large whoop broke the night calm, red eyes darting around erratically to find the boy.

Techno let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he spotted the orange and red feathers against the black water at the bottom of the cliff, primary feather tips curled upwards as air nipped them.

Tommy curled his body up, a wide smile spreading across his features as his wings carried him upwards. “T-Techno!” He gasped, tone rich with excitement and joy, “I’m doing it! I’m flying!”

Techno watched silently, warm pride washing over him. “You are!” He shouted back, giving the blonde a thumbs up. He doubted he saw it, but it’s the thought that counts.

“I’m really flying!”

“Now land before the wind shifts.” Techno yelled, a sense informing him of the soon-to-be shifting winds.

Tommy didn’t seem to have heard.

“Tommy! Land!” Techno shouted with more urgency, watching the boy flutter about without a care. “Tommy!”

If the boy had heard him, he ignored him easily. He pointed his body downwards, pulling in his wings slightly to try and minimise air resistance. He built up speed, pulling himself upwards and spreading out his wings as far as they would go. Icy eyes met red, almost glowing from the excitement.

Red eyes watched as panic dimmed the glow, the boy slipping from his hover and plummeting down.

“You idiot!” Techno shouted, voice raw with fear. He didn’t hesitate in jumping off the cliff, forcing his wings out at an alarming speed. Adrenaline covered the pain as he plummeted, wings curled around his body tightly and spreading out just before he crashed into the water.

Techno hovered just barely above the water, the air he created from the sudden speed causing ripples to spread along its black depths. He pulled up just barely, arms outstretched and wrapping tightly around the sudden warmth. He lifted his wings upwards, the push down having enough force to push to sharply upwards with barely any speed penalty. Turning sharply to one of the cliff edges, he used the winds pushing upwards to help push himself back to solid ground.

_ Too quick. _ His brain barely registered before he crashed against the ground, curling his wings around Tommy as his body ragdolled along the ground. Techno gasped sharply in pain as his back met sudden solidness, the speed he had gathered being suddenly robbed.

Wide blue eyes stared up, mouth parted open. Techno uncurled his red-tipped black wings, letting them lay limply on either side of him. “A…” He struggled to regain breath, pain blurring his vision, “are you okay?”

Tommy continued to stare before suddenly snapping back to reality. “Am I okay?” He pushed himself onto his knees, panic taking over his expression. “You… you’re hurt! Oh god, you’re bleeding.”

Techno shook his head, wincing at the movement. He wasn’t sure what exactly hurt, all he knew was there were broken bones. And a possible concussion from the sudden jolt of his head when he crashed into the tree. “Doesn’t matter. Are you okay?”

Tears built at the bottom of Tommy’s eyes, probably caused by adrenaline wearing off. “I-I’m fine.” He stammered, digging his nails in his palms, “I… I’ll get Wilbur!”

Techno opened his mouth to argue but could only hiss in pain as a wave crashed over him. Tommy blinked, pushing himself up and blindly dashing through the forest.

Techno leaned his head against the light brown bark, red eyes squinted as he willed his spinning vision to spill.  _ Head. Ribcage. Back. Wings. Right leg. Left shoulder. Left arm. _ He forced his mind to focus on identifying where the worst pain was. There was a cold trickle down his arm and back, which he chalked up to being blood.

He panted, pushing down the bile that rose to his throat.  _ Stay focused. Focus on surroundings. _

The crickets were silent. No owl hooted. It was painfully quiet, the only sounds being his own heartbeat and breathing. The moon had risen higher, staring down at him with a dismissive look. Stars twinkled brightly, unknowing of the pain that filled the place where they watched over. Shuffled footsteps revealed Tommy’s return, Wilbur fo- no.

Techno stilled, silencing his breathing. He strained his listening, forcing the cloud to be pushed to the back of his mind as he focused on the dishonest footsteps. There were three… four pairs. His hazy mind struggled to come up with who it could be.

The answer froze his body, pain momentarily forgotten.

_ Butchers. _

He gasped at the sudden pain, hearing the footprints still before shuffling again. He silently thanked whatever sadistic god watching from the sky for sending Tommy off.

“Lookie what we have here.” Techno glared at the stranger, red eyes murderous. “We have a lovely Avianfolk, huh? Why, you’re quite something. Look at those wings!”

The other Butchers revealed themselves from the forest, one giving a long whistle.

Techno glared up, jaw clenched. He hadn’t known when he grabbed his left shoulders, but the sudden squeeze sent a new wave of pain webbing out from it. His blood-coloured eyes met with a brown so dark it resembled black and a milky white eye. A jagged scar stretched along the blind eye.

“Quackity, what should we do? He’s hurt?” Another one of the Butchers chimed, a ginger with a fluffy pair of ears and single tail. He made a distant correlation of fox.

Quackity whistled lowly, taking a step forward.

“Take another step and I’ll break your teeth.” Techno growled, tone laced with murderous intention.

Quackity paused for a moment, before letting out a loud laugh. “Will you now? In that state, I’d be impressed if you could even lift a hand up, much more if you could ball it in a fist.”

“Be careful. He’s still Avainfolk, even if injured.” The fox-hybrid warned, light orange eyes casting the hurt man a wary look.

“You worry too much, Fundy. He can’t do shit in this state. See?”

Techno couldn’t stop the cry of pain as Quackity pushed his heel into his left shoulder, ignoring the protective hand Techno had unconsciously set up.

Another cry escaped as Quackity put an extra burst of force, holding it there for a moment more before taking a step back. Tears burned Techno’s eyes as he struggled to regain his staggered breathing.

“Leader.” One of the other Butcher’s nervously shifted. “I don’t think it’s wise to injure the merchandise any further.”

Quackity snapped his head, eyes squinting. He sighed. “He’ll be fine. Might as well have some fun while we can, yeah? These bastards have been such a nuisance for so long.”

Techno glared up, ignoring the hot tear that had managed to escape. “I’ll kill you.”

The hybrid, Techno recalled being called Fundy, placed a hand on the leader’s shoulder. “We need to be careful. We don’t know what’s out here in these woods. Remember that blonde kid with the sheep-hybrid?”

Quackity paused. “You mean the one that threw rocks at us?”

Fundy nodded. “That means there’s people living in these woods.”

“Really?” Quackity laughed, the sound echoing off the trees. “Those were just two kids playing in the woods. Who’d live in a magic forest? Recipe for disaster.”

The ginger faltered, sinking back to the other two standing along the edge of deep shadows. “Now,” the half-blind man turned his attention back to Techno, dark brown hair firmly pressed under a hat, “what to do with you, I wonder?”

Techno looked away, biting his bottom lip. “Just take me to whatever sick place you want. Not like I’m in any position to fight back.”

Quackity walked forward, grabbing Techno’s chin and forcing him to lock eyes. He tilted it to the side, lips curling up at the pointed ears before forcing it back to look at him head-on. “Oh? Suddenly so eager? I wonder why.”

Techno glared up, refusing to give them any clues.

“Maybe you have family around here?” Quackity pulled away, grin growing wider. “Perfect. I’m guessing that they’ll be looking for you soon?”

“What gave you that idea?” His mouth felt dry.

“It was quick, but your expression gave it away.”

Techno cursed under his breath, forcing the panic down.  _ Don’t let them get roped in. You can’t. Think, Techno, think. Think think think. _

An idea popped into his head. Heat seeped into his fingers, growing in intensity. It burned his flesh, but he couldn’t let it spill out just yet. He let it build up more, willing it to burn hotter.

Red eyes coldly watched the four interact, their voices distant and submerged in water. Calm cold washed over his body, spilling out any pain. They turned back to him, words foreign but tone taunting.

_ “Always protect them, Techno.” _ Phil’s calm words spilled into his head, echoing. He had to protect them. No matter what,  _ he had to _ . He’d sooner die than  _ ever _ fail protecting them.

Techno shot out both arms, flames eager to escape his bloody fingers and devour. He held it for a second, letting the last burst of power gather at the tips. He disregarded the faces light up in recognition, only focused on the condensed power.

His back slammed flush against the tree at the force, blue flames tearing from his dark-red stained fingers. It hissed eagerly, flaring out to swallow anything it could get ahold of. Fresh pain crashed over him but the flames wouldn’t stop, growing brighter each heartbeat. All he could smell was fresh fire, only things he heard being a sharp whooshing cutting through his heartbeat.

Techno lowered his hands limply, pain causing his vision to swim. The blue fire stayed without the replenishment, a large orb of blue spitting off bursts of flames.

_ You have to get up. _ The thought felt so distant, but somehow he was limping through the forest. He didn’t even see any light from the fire, just the black of shadows.

Techno recognised distant voices, the weight of himself suddenly becoming nothingness as foreign warmth filled his sides.

“...no? Techno? Techno!”

“Huh?” Techno blinked blurriness away from his vision, quickly passing between his younger brothers. Tommy held him up on his right while Wilbur took the left, crimson staining the brunette’s white shirt.

He could feel his wings get dragged limply behind him, feathers melting over rocks and tree roots.

“Oh my god.”

“Tommy, why are you crying?” He looked at the youngest, concern flickering under the veil of pain in the crimson sea.

“You…” He bit his bottom lip, staring at the ground with blurry vision.

“Let’s go home.” Wilbur’s voice was near silent, gentle and warm.

Techno forced himself to stay awake on the walk back, desperately grabbing at anything that would prevent him from falling into an uneasy slumber.

Wilbur gently lowered him into the familiar bed, it sinking under the sudden weight. He chuckled, thought it lacked any amusement. “You two always get hurt.”

“Sorry.” Techno slipped his eyes away, staring at the ceiling. He could feel Wilbur brushing pink strands out from his eyes. “Better us than you. At least you can patch us up.” He tried to crack a joke, but faltered when not even a flicker of amusement passed through Wilbur’s rich brown eyes.

“Stay awake. I’ll be gone a moment.”

Techno hummed in confirmation, forcing himself to ignore the heavy exhaustion tugging at his lids. Instead, he focused on the room. The window in the corner was broken, one side quirked up that he still hadn’t figured out how to fix. It let cold air seep into the room, carrying the scent of rain and promise of winter. His bed was pushed against the back wall, dresser next to the light brown door. A large mirror rested on top of the otherwise clear dresser, false gold swirling around the frame.

The door creaked open, golden light flooding in for a second before getting pushed out by constant shadows. Wilbur stood for a moment, lips pressed together tightly as he sat on the stool next to the bed.  _ Must’ve moved that in sometime. _

“I’ll do my best to patch up what I can. You can go to sleep now. You look exhausted.”

Techno tried to stay awake, wanting to refuse the help. Afterall, he was supposed to be the one helping  _ them _ , not them helping  _ him _ . But his body had other plans, and he wasn’t sure when he had slipped into darkness.

Techno pulled pink hair back, trying it into a lazy ponytail. Usually, Wilbur braided it while Tommy chattered about whatever recent adventure him and Tubbo had been on. But he wasn’t feeling up to sitting still in a wooden chair for so long.

When he pushed open his door, his nose was graciously greeted with the fresh scent of burnt food. Gentle gold shimmered into the room, informing him that it was early morning. A smirk curled his lips and he carefully hobbled down the stairs, leaning against the doorframe.

“Wow, smells great.”

Tommy jumped, tossing the black pancake into the air. Shockingly, he reacted quickly and caught it. “Y’know, your sarcasm isn’t very welcomed right now.”

Techno snorted, glancing around. “Where’s Wilbur?”

Tommy paused, sliding a burnt pancake onto a plate with similar looking circles. “He went out to look for the Butchers. We saw the fire from a distance.”

“How long has he been gone?”

Tommy stepped back from the pile of black, dark brown, and probably edible light brown. “He left an hour or so ago. He should be back soon. Look,” the blonde smiled proudly, “I made pancakes.”

Techno considered making a sarcastic comment, poking fun at the teenager’s poor cooking skill. You’d think with all the time spent bothering Techno when he was cooking, he’d have picked up a thing or two. Instead, he settled on giving Tommy a warm smile. “I’ll teach you how to  _ properly _ cook pancakes next time.”

Tommy opened his mouth in offense, almost as if to argue about ‘what’s wrong with these’. After a quick glance at the pile, he shrank slightly. “Yeah,” he dragged out the ‘h’, “that’d probably be useful.”

Techno pushed himself off the doorframe, wincing slightly. “How’re you feeling?” Tommy’s voice was small.

“Could be better, could be worse.” The older boy shrugged, though decided not to again after the stab of pain. “Did Wilbur tell you…?”

Tommy nodded, piling the pancakes on three separate plates. Two of them had two pancakes, while the third had four. “Sprained ankle, fractured shoulder, and broken arm. You also had a bit of a concussion for a bit, whatever that is. Wilbur wouldn’t explain. Also, your, uh, your wings…” He trailed off, blue eyes casted downwards in guilt.

Techno stood silently, trying to decide how he should respond. “Oh well, all that will heal. Broken arm, broken wing. Same thing. Also a concussion is when you hit your head. It can be a small one, or really bad.”

Tommy nodded in response, placing the plates in front of the three chairs along with a bar of butter and bottle of syrup. He placed a metal fork and butter knife next to each plate, placing them neatly over a folded napkin.

Techno turned as the front door opened, watching Wilbur’s expression change from a darkened anger to surprise. “You shouldn’t be up.”

He titled his head as Wilbur sighed. “You got really hurt. You should be resting.”

“I’ll be fine. Staying cooped up would be worse for my health. You know I don’t deal well with being trapped like a bird in a cage.” Techno waved the concern off, watching the brunette carefully with red eyes. “So, the Butchers?”

Wilbur closed the door behind him quietly, hand squeezing around the silver handle before realising it with a sudden gentleness. “All the ground was scorched. There was blood around the area, trailing along the cliff. Seems like at least one got away.”

“At least one?”

Wilbur nodded, sitting in the seat beside Tommy. They both had only two pancakes in front of them. “There were two bodies, I think. Half burned so it was hard to tell.”

Techno sat in his seat, grabbing at Tommy’s plate to switch before getting his hand swatted away. “You’re injured. You need more food to heal up.”

He considered arguing, but decided it wouldn’t be worth it. “When did you both grow up so quickly?”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “I’m 13. It’d be weird if I still acted like a child.”

Wilbur nodded in agreement. “Don’t act like an old man, Techno. You’re only 20.”

“Speaking of old, you’re getting really old Wilbur.”

Wilbur turned to Tommy, feigned hurt in his eyes. “I’m 19. That’s hardly old.”

“Whatever you say, old man.”

Techno drowned one of the pancakes in syrup, silently enjoying the bicker between the youngest and middle child. He bit into the black char, having to put in far more strength than should be needed to eat pancakes. It tasted like shit, but he could taste the love put in it and couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh yeah, Techno.”

Techno looked up at Wilbur, casting Tommy an amused glance at his scrunched up face. Clearly, he wasn’t pleased with his cooking abilities.

“This is what I got you at town yesterday. Meant to hand it to you earlier but it slipped my mind.” Wilbur pushed a small black box forward, neat white ribbon tied around it. A paper was taped on top, containing only a drawn smile. Curiosity filled him as he tugged at one of the ribbon loops.

Tommy perked up, watching the box with acute interest while Wilbur watched Techno, eyes lit with mischief. He clicked open the box, curiosity dying and being replaced with a sigh. He lifted the small clock out of the box, watching it tick. It was made to look like a pizza.

Tommy stared at it, trying to figure out what it was. Realisation hit as he wheezed into laughter. “Is that a fucking food clock?”

Wilbur leaned back in his chair smugly, smile wide. “It gives you reminders to eat every six hours. Thought you might need it.”

“This is the worst gift I’ve ever gotten.” Techno deadpanned, sliding the clock into his pocket.

Wilbur hummed, clearly pleased with himself and Tommy regained his composure. “That’s great.” The youngest boy hummed, eyes lighting up with whatever thoughts rocked around in his brain.

“Thanks. I’ll try to put such a useless thing to have some sort of usefulness.”

“Glad to hear it.” Wilbur gathered the plates, which they had all, somehow, managed to eat between their idle chatter.

“So,” Tommy looked up expectantly at Techno, “when you’re all healed, we’re gonna fly again, yeah?”

Wilbur snorted as he cleaned the dish. Techno stared at Tommy, before rolling his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. But before then, you’ll have to write an essay about the different parts of the wing and their uses.”

Tommy blinked, preparing to argue before getting interrupted by the brunette. “Don’t try to argue. When I tried that, he kept making me write more essays until I stopped complaining.”

The blonde frowned, muttering under his breath. “Fine. It’ll be the best essay you’ve ever read!”

Techno smiled, ruffling his hair. “I look forward to it.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you have suggestions for anything to write, feel free to toss them at me. I'm desperate for ideas. Also, if you have any suggestions to improve my writing I'd be more than happy if you were to leave a suggestion about that. Be as ruthless as you need to if you must, I really want to get better at writing  
> I may write more in this world. If I do, I'd like to follow Tommy & Tubbo's interactions and Wilbur. Maybe one with The Butchers? Another idea would be where they're flying. Depends on if this does well or not


End file.
